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Latest Weight Loss Surgery News

Plastic Surgery after Weight Loss Surgery

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posted by Admin User at 2015-07-21 23:57:00

Is Plastic Surgery Your Next Step? by Dr. Alejandro Quiroz via ObesityHelp.com

Deciding to take that first step towards a healthier you is not easy. It’s not only about losing weight it’s about creating and leading a new lifestyle. Although the journey may sometimes be emotionally and physically draining, it is well worth it. Whether you achieved your weight loss goals through bariatric surgery or diet and exercise, celebrate your accomplishments.

It is common for people who have experienced substantial weight loss

 find themselves feeling uncomfortable with the excess skin present in various parts of their bodies such as:

  • Upper arms sag
  • Breasts flatten and hang
  • Buttocks, groin and thighs sag
  • Abdominal area extends around the sides and into the lower back area

Types of Plastic Surgery Procedures

After losing weight, many people start to consider plastic surgery to remove excess skin and address body issues from being obese.  Many people feel as if their excess skin serves as a constant reminder of the body they once had and opt for post-bariatric/body contouring procedures in order to finalize their weight loss journey. Body contouring improves the shape and tissue tone that supports fat and skin, also removing the excess sagging. The result is a natural appearance with smoother and pleasing contours. There is a variety of procedures that can be customized to fit your specific post-weight loss needs like:

  • Brachioplasty / Arm Lift – Upper arm skin that is loose and sagging can be corrected with this surgical procedure.
  • Liposculpture – Sculpts the shape of the body by removing unwanted fat from the upper arms, chin, cheeks, neck abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs and knees.
  • Lower face and neck lift- Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System (SMAS) tissue is repositioned
  • Upper Body Lift – This procedure removes excess skin and restores the contour to the upper back around to the sides of the chest and underarm areas.
  • Lower Body Lift – Removes excess fat and skin above and below the umbilicus and tightens the abdominal muscles and reshapes the abdomen, lower back, waist, thighs and buttocks for more toned and defined contours.
  • Brazilian Butt Lift – This procedure improves thigh contour for a more flattering and toned posterior.
  • Buttocks/Fat Transfer – For patients with little volume in the buttocks, this procedure removes fat from one place on the body using liposuction, and then injects it into the appropriate place in buttocks.
  • Buttocks Implants – This is a solution for those who want to have a more defined behind. Soft silicone implants – all with a natural look and firmness – come in wide range of shapes and sizes.
  • Thigh Lift – Get shapelier thighs with this highly effective and discreet procedure.
  • Abdominoplasty- removing excess skin on abdomen

A common concern among patients considering undergoing post-weight loss procedures are the scars resulting from the incisions. Although scars will be present, they will be strategically placed to make them barely noticeable. For example, during a body lift the excess skin is removed by making an incision along the torso that is very low. For a thigh lift, the incision runs on the inner thigh and along the inguinal crease in order to hide it more effectively. For most patients, the trade-off between excess skin and scars is a minor obstacle in achieving the contoured body they want and deserve.

When it comes to downtime most procedures take about 2-3 weeks of recovery time. Sometimes patients want to undergo various procedures at a time but the amount of procedures allowed depends on the magnitude of the procedure and their overall health. In addition, it is important for patients to have realistic expectations and discuss further details with their surgeons.

Whether you decide to have post-bariatric procedures or not, you have come a long way so congratulations on your achievements!



Special Guest at Syracuse Support Group!

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posted by Admin User at 2015-07-14 08:00:00

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday July 15th, at the Syracuse WLSsupport group to hear a representative from the YMCA of Greater Syracuse discuss their wide range of options for fitness and conditioning available at all of the Syracuse YMCA locations!

Where: 7246 Janus Park Drive, Liverpool NY (Off of Taft Road) Meeting held in St. Joseph's Healthcare Network Building, Conference Room A (2nd floor) - You may park in the Cardiac Pulmonary Patient parking only section.

Contact: Bariatric Coordinator at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center - (315) 448-5825 or Dr. Graber's Office - (315) 477-4740



Dr. Graber’s Post-Surgical Summer Seminar Series continues…

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posted by Admin User at 2015-07-13 23:28:00

Please join us tomorrow night in our ‪Syracuse‬ office for an exclusive seminar just for our bariatric surgery patients on how to create a “Mental Vacation” from your stresses.


Inspiring Story - How to Gain Control Over Weight Issues with Bariatric Surgery

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posted by Admin User at 2015-07-10 23:22:00

By now many of us have heard that obesity is an epidemic of immense proportion that threatens the health and life of all that are affected by it. But did you know that in 2013 obesity was declared an actual disease by the American Medical Association, the nation’s largest physician organization? Obesity is a chronic medical condition with multifaceted causes and consequences, which is defined by the medical community according to a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI).  BMI is a measurement of height and weight that results in a number used as a screening tool to asses a person’s risk of disease. It is generally thought that the higher one’s BMI, the higher their body fat, therefore the higher the risk for other chronic medical conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and even certain cancers.  Often many of these chronic medical conditions go hand in hand with obesity- these are called “co-morbid conditions” and management of them can make treating obesity even more complicated, and vice versa.  Unfortunately, long-term weight management through non-surgical treatments has proven largely unsuccessful for those suffering from obesity. Even as a Registered Dietitian, I can say that I have not seen anything work for those who suffer from obesity quite in the same way, and with the same efficacy as bariatric surgery does. With proper diet, medications, behavior modifications and exercise, patients can often lose modest amounts of weight, but only for short periods of time, and statistics show that long-term weight loss using these methods is rare. In contrast to non-surgical treatments, weight loss surgery has demonstrated to be highly effective at sustaining long-term weight loss- we have seen this in our practice thousands of times since we opened our doors in 2002.


Burn Some Holiday Calories!

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posted by Admin User at 2015-07-06 21:35:00

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!  Would you say you indulged a little much in some holiday favorites?  Looking for a little spark to get back on track?  Exercise releases those natural “feel good” endorphins, and can go a long way for putting you in positive mood and push you towards other great changes- such as changes in diet and sleep.  But what if there is no time, no motivation, no place to start? What if you feel like there is not much you can do because of physical limitations? Well, we might have a couple of ideas that require no gym, no equipment (unless you want to) and can be customized to whatever you have time for- enter the FitnessBlender.  This site and app offers free, high quality videos of exercises that you can customize according to all your needs- time you have to work out, what your abilities are, type of exercise desired, body parts to be focused on, desired amount of calorie burn, equipment used or none at all- put it all in the “blender” and you get some nice videos with step by step instructions, rep and timer countdowns, and motivating words to keep you moving during the whole workout.


Happy Fourth of July!

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posted by Admin User at 2015-07-04 00:27:00

Happy 4th of July to all from the offices of William A. Graber, MD, PC. If you are past week 7 of our diet, and comfy with solid, dense meats, go ahead and grill some- along with grilled veggies of course!